By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
THE assistant chaplain of the Free National Movement wants FNM leaders to stop interfering in constituency association affairs.
In an internal communication leaked to The Tribune, Kevin Harris, who is also a former director of Bahamas Information Services, also criticised deputy chairman Don Saunders for attending last week’s Mount Moriah constituency meeting where he publicly argued with the Carmichael Constituency Association chairman.
Division in the FNM has attracted attention after leaders reportedly tried to block former Prime Minister Dr Hubert Minnis from speaking at constituency association meetings.
Yesterday, Mr Harris said he is confident the party will overcome its issues.
His communication, which was not intended for public consumption, said: “The FNM is a democratic political organisation founded on the individual right to freedom of expression and association. What I am seeing play out is a decision to focus on constituency associations that intended to have meetings where the former Prime Minister was invited to speak. I have told the chairman and the leader that what I see happening in regards to interfering with meetings in particular where Dr Minnis is scheduled to speak is simply wrong and undemocratic. If we are honest, we are not seeing leaders of this party focus heavily on any other constituency association meetings and based on the number of flyers being created there are many meetings taken place.”
FNM leaders reportedly tried to block Dr Minnis from speaking at a Garden Hills constituency association meeting, pushing the party’s internal tensions into public view.
The divisions in the party were highlighted again last week when former Tall Pines MP Don Saunders openly argued with Peter Outten, the chairman of the Carmichael constituency association, after telling reporters he knew nothing about efforts to prevent Dr Minnis from speaking at association meetings.
Mr Harris said he was surprised Mr Saunders even attended the Mount Moriah meeting.
“In my opinion, Don knew full well who would be in attendance and I believe he is aware of the temperament of some of the men who would be there,” he said.
“My question to Don is why raise the issues that you raised after the meeting when in my view again, knowing it would create tension. Up until that point from what many have said and what I watched online, the meeting seemed to have been very organised and it seemed to have went well. From the snippets that I heard from Dr Minnis’ speech, he seemed focused again on attacking the PLP and not the FNM or the Leader of the FNM. I was also informed that Dr Minnis also called for party unity and that the FNM is a family. I want to commend Dr Minnis for his maturity and leadership in this regard.”
“The FNM as some say was started by men who were soldiers of dissent and that spirit some say follow us to this day. I believe it also happens in the PLP. The bottom line, we have always had members who support a sitting leader and some who still supported a former leader or even someone else altogether who wish to be leader. That is all of their rights to do so.
“This is not kindergarten, this is politics and, yes, at times some will passionately support who they support. The key here is for us as a party not to be seen as trying to prevent people to support who they wish. These so called 30, 40, 50 or even 150 are FNMs. I may not agree with all they do and say and how they may behave at times, but I support their rights to do so. I may not agree with everything the leader, chairman or Dr Minnis does and says, but I support their rights to do so. I can as a member in each instance agree to disagree. We must stop interfering in these constituency associations decisions as to who wish to serve as a guest speaker and allow these meetings with FNMs to be held in peace.”